The invention relates generally to engine diagnostic systems and in particular to an engine diagnostic system which is embedded in the aircraft and does not require external systems to detect a fault. The U.S. Air Force currently downloads mission data from each F-16 at the end of each day. The data is transferred to portable data transfer devices and subsequently downloaded into ground support systems. This data is then compared to previous mission data and performance faults are determined based on trend data. The support equipment infrastructure has been unreliable and expensive to maintain.
This system requires significant maintenance manpower resources and exposes the engine and aircraft to the potential of undetected trend faults due to ground system equipment related problems. In addition, the existing system would not enunciate a trend fault until the end of the day which could be after multiple missions. In a deployed scenario, the support equipment must be transported to the remote site to determine if a performance fault exists.